Markets: FTSE 100 surges ahead on European QE hopes

• FTSE 100 up 1.6% to 6,728
• Gold down 0.18% to $1,293.10/oz
• £/$ - 1.5142

Energy stocks were among the day's highest climbers as the4 price of crude oil rose. BG Group gained 4.3%, Tullow Oil added 3.9% and BP was 3.4% higher. Publishing group Pearson was the top performer with a 4.9% rise after a positive update on profits.

In European markets, the Paris CAC 40 gained 38 points to 4,484, and the German Xetra Dax rose 42 points to 10,299.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 17,554, the S&P 500 gained 0.5% to 2,032, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.3% to 4,667.

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Overnight in Japan, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to 17,329, and the broader Topix index slipped 0.1% to 1,389. And in China, the Shanghai Composite added 0.6% to 3,343, and the CSI 300 rose 0.5% to 3,567.

Brent spot was trading at $48.65 early today, and in New York, crude oil was at $47.23. Spot gold was trading at $1,286 an ounce, silver was at $18.00 and platinum was at $1,269.

In the forex markets this morning, sterling was trading against the US dollar at 1.5152 and against the euro at 1.3062. The dollar was trading at 0.8621 against the euro and 117.96 against the Japanese yen.

And in the UK, construction firm Balfour Beatty has issued another profit warning, saying profits at its UK construction division would now by £70m less than previously thought. The company, which issued several profit warnings in 2014, is also to cancel its £200m share buyback programme.

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